A rough translation of Jeyamohan's article (
http://www.jeyamohan.in/89353#.V51H9zt942w):
"I mentioned in my earlier post that it is only expression of irritation, not a critique. The award is a fraud.
Moreover, it is not just a diary noting. It will go into my books. It will be there even after a century. At a time when no one would know TMK it would be read as a footnote. If Pudumaipithan has written even a line about a musician of those days, that musician would be remembered only by Pudumaipithan’s noting. Writing endures. I wanted this fraud to be known for generations. That is why I wrote so.
The vehemence of this noting or the circle in which it will be read will not be known to TMK. I reckon that. He may not even know whether anything is written in Tamizh. His writing shows no trace of his knowledge of such things.
Therefore, this is for the target audience I expect and for posterity. The vehemence in my writing is nothing which Pudumaipithan or Sundara Ramasamy has not employed. It may be strange to the general readers.
Any cultural award must have peer level review and criticism. Only its intensity establishes the worth of the award. It is so globally. However, here the mentality is, ‘OK, someone has got an award. Let us congratulate and mind our business,’ and treating the critics as disenchanted at not getting it themselves. No one gets beyond this herd mentality. But, my view is important to me and even if no one has it, I must record it.
This criticism can be published only in this medium. It won’t be carried in the big press though I am a front-ranking writer. Even the fact that such an opinion arose would not be noticed by anyone in our circumstances. It will be discussed a bit because of its vehemence only. That is the dominant feature of our cultural habitat. This is a voice against it.
Further, I think that a writer need not bother to use euphemism. His duty is to say what has to be said, but what others hesitate to.
I have already spelt out reasons for my objections to the award to TMK. But, my opinions become controversial. I am unable to withdraw without offering a full explanation.
First, I have recorded often that casteism has a front row in our tradition. In fact, it is not Brahmin dominance, but Iyer dominance. Not just here, in any tradition-bound structure such dominance will prevail. There will be a social background to it. TMK’s voice can be taken as intolerance of it. This will be known to those who watch the music world even cursorily. I can even accept his bringing it (intolerance) out as support for Dalits, suppressed sections and revountionary musical activity. He shouts about it with maximum force through his montly articles in English paper, and it may have some effect.
But what is his achievement? Is it an achievement that one has progressive views? Who does not speak it here, progressiveness? If his progressive speech can earn Magsaysay award, monthly thirty thusand such awards will have to be distributed through the ration shops.
What is social or cultural achievement? It is doing scial service according to the principles one has espoused, with relentless patience over a long period of time and making an impact. The social workers whom we regard are all such.
Yes, only when one shows it in action, it is social service. Not merely talking about it, not shouting, not occupying media space because of money power or family background.
TMK wrote articles about casteism in CM environment. He visited four to five times the slums where the downtrodden live and sang there. Did they enjoy it? Was there any change in them? Were they drawn to that music? He himself has said that four or five people watched it as fun without understanding it. If so, why did he do it? Just to attract media attention. His aim is to hint, ‘If you do not respect me, I will throw your music in the dustbin,’ to those that dominate the music scene, and provoke them.
His singing in a slum shows actually his contempt for slum. If he was really interested, he must have started an institution for teaching music to Dalits and the other downtrodden. He must have taught at least a hundred people and at least five among them must have come up. That is social service and sharing of culture. That is not an easy task. It needs dedication, tireless effort and continuous toil. Only after it is embarked on, all complications will rear their head one by one. It is not possible for the ordinary people to face all that, overcome them and achieve. It calls for deep conviction. Everyone who has shown it in action is a god in our midst. I am willing to prostrate at their feet. For, I know that I cannot even think of it. Therefore, I derive a sense of fulfilment by bowing to them.
There is a school for the deaf in Tirupur. Murugasamy, its founder, also is hearing-challenged. He has set it up by working hard for several years with patience. I wanted to make a contribution to that school. I did not want to hand it over. I fell at his feet and placed it there.
If TMK has shown in action a small portion of what he is advocating, he will be my role model. What he does is mere abuse. Is there a dearth of abusers in Tamizh circles? If you abuse anything somehow by citing some reasons, you are a thinker, social service worker, cultural activict. If one can sing before ten to fifteen people in four or five streets some songs which they do not make head or tail of, get media publicity for it and get Magsaysay award, what is the meaning of terms such as social service and cultural service? People who distort evaluation like this actually disrespect the meaning of service, don’t they? They belittle those who dedicate their life and do service. Why do we not appreciate this difference? Should not someone ask TMK, “What have you achieved?” OK, leave it. Henceforth, let him put to action at least a small part of what he is crying hoarse about. Let him get down to the field for ten years and live with those people and serve them. I will plead guilty and apologise.
Half of those who wrote to me agree with TMK’s views and politics. Therefore, they maintain that he is a great social service worker and want to support him. They say that they will take any opposition to him as political. That is street politics. When those who are educated even a little say so, it leaves a bad taste in the mouth.
Do they not understand that all who climb the ladder getting awards here have been paying their tribute regularly from the word go? Wil such people get down to it without fine tuning political correctness? I witness many say that he got the award for opposing Modi and support him fanatically. That is a joke.
OK, let us grant that it is his true poitical stance. Does it mean that one should not question what his real socio-cultural achievement is for which the award is given? Friends, at least someone must ask it. Otherwise, it denotes that there is only political support and opposition, no socio-cultural achievement. I forgive the souls who see it as mere politics in spite of all this. Their world is different.
Is TMK an incarnation for wiping out casteism in music? Does he know about the great cultural movement for the last hundred years here? He himself says that just as people watched in fun when he sang classical music, he watched in fun when they sang folk music without understanding it. Their watching it for fun is natural. For, classical music appeals to those who have had some training and attuned their ears to it. But, if folk music looked funny to him, that is height of naivety since the music that he sings evolved from folk music. You cannot take any classical music to common people just as it is. If someone claims that, it will be the right assessment to call him an emty tin. The masses cannot enjoy it instantly. It has evolved from the music they are used to, but it has a long cultural dimension. One who knows this even a little would not utter such foolish opinions.
The south Indian music that we call CM has shaped from the ancient Tamizh PaNNisai. In the sixteenth-seventeenth centuries when it shaped up, southern province was called karnatakam generally. Since the Naiks were in power totally, that name prevailed.
The development of dimensions of music is alike worldwide. It takes off from life naturally. It is unrestrained. There would be no grammar for it. Therefore, there would be no practice to sing it. It is sung among a coterie. Others are not able to enjoy it. It is sung for work, feast, ritual and prayer. Such small traditions combine In the course of development of social formation. They coalesce into a voluntary musical flow. We call it folk music. They are like the perennial spate of rivers. Classical music is what shapes from it with construction of grammar. Only after codification of grammar, external teaching becomes possible. Experts come along. Instead of spontaneous manifestation, the system of continuous self-improvement in music takes shape. Instead of emotional ourpour, nuances assume importance. Not only singing but also listening becomes possible only thorugh practice. Therefore it turns out elitist. A lifestyle and midset for it become essential. It converses with other classical forms. It grows more and more by mutual exchange. The growth of classical music worldwide follows this route.
PaNNisai is an ancient traditional form that evolved from folk music. In the midieval period it decayed. It was discovered in the Chozha era and there was renaissance. Ancient history records that Tamizh paNs were retrieved from Nilakanta YAzhpANar. Again it disappeared from centre stage. During the reign of Telugu kings, it took rebirth mingling with northern music traditions. That is CM. This is a short history.
On the other side, folk music continues with various changes. People keep singing and enjoying it on every occasion in life. Therefore, the non-Brahmins have not been starved of music as TMK thinks. He has not gifted music to them like Prometheus brought fire from heaven. They have a different form of music. What sounds as alien to them is the grammatical tradition of the two thousand year old paNNisai. TMK has sung classical music before them without teaching it to them and made them laugh. But he has the last laugh having won Magsaysay award on the back of it.
It is a historical lie to say even that non-Brahmins had no CM. Isai veLALars cherish even today an important musical tradition. Even the other caste people practised music. Today it is with Brahmins as all except a minority. among Brahmins have given up music practice. That is the truth. As Iyers preponderate among listeners, their dominance among singers and organisations is inevitable.
The Tamizhisai movement of the last century arose with a bang. Its first prominent figure was Abraham Pandithar. There is a long list of its exponents including Dandapani Desikar, Kudanthai Sundaresanar and Salem Jayalakshmi.
The aims of Tamizhisai were twofold. One was to write the history of Tamizh classical music. The second was to take it to a wider section of the public. The first task has ended with success. We can point out a hundred books to read for those who are keen. But, the task to take it to people has mostly not succeeded. Many are the reasons for it. The place for bhakthi that was the essence of classical music was reduced in the changing lifestyle. Therefore, classical music also contracted to bhakthi music. That is the reason why lyrics like ‘ThAmarai pUttha thatAkamadi’ (Dandapani Desikar) took shape. That is the one TMK discovered anew in 2015 and gave a high pitch interview in The Hindu. Many efforts took place. Thousands of Tamizh songs were created. The forgotten Tamizhisai was resurrected by tuning and singing songs of Tamizhisai MUvar etc. They were not created by linguistic fanatics. Linguistic fanaticism will not forster art. They were created for providing songs to public in their language drawing from the life they lead. They were taken to the people in many ways. Tamizhisai manrams were also set up fpr the purpose.
Even if not directly, only through Tamizhisai, traditional music survives among the public. A few with interest in Tamizhisai are singing Tamizhisai songs. Starting from Madurai Somu and Maharajapuraam Santhanam to Sanjay Subrhmanyan, they are culling out new songs and singing.
Such a huge task has taken place. Several great predecessors have worked on it. If after it all the classical music has not caught on, there may be more subtle cultural causes. Only those who work in the field can find it out and overcome it. It is a huge task, a challenging one. Common people cannot enjoy classical music. But, it is possible to create conditions for all to sing and enjoy it. Only if it is done, it can emerge out of the current ambience of bhajan and caste identity.
For that, the grammar and technique of appreciation must be taught through persistent efforts. Institutional sustained efforts are needed.
There is something beyond all this. Classical music has convoluted into a smaller circle during its development over time. A big hiatus has befallen between it and folk music. Therefore, it is totally exotic to the ears of commoners. That gap has to be filled creatively. Tamizhaisai movement has not been able to bring it about. Its lack of significant success is due to this in my view.
It is the fate of all classical music. Look at our own poetic tradition. In the end of sanga era, the form of poetry became rigid and became grammar. SilappathikAram pierced into it and introduced folk forms like kAnal vari, vettuva vari, and Acchiyar kuravai. Tamizh tradition got a new lease of life.
Finally, during the time of Bharathi, poetry had been turned into arithmetical manipulations like yamakam, madakku, and chithrakavi. The precious jewel of a being that appeared rarely (Bharathi) broke it. He gave fresh life to our tradition by writing poems in the genre of folk songs.
In sum, the great chasm between the two music traditions that took shape has been the problem. Not that the slum dwellers could not attend the sabhas to listen to music. Not even that Iyers and Iyengars did not go to sing in the streets. It is something that should be redressed by microscopic field study, holistic training in the tradition and concerted cultural perspective.
Without realizing any of this, someone gets up in the morning, sits in a street in a kuppam, beats his thigh and sings sabha music. He writes articles in English daily proclaiming that he takes the classical music to slums. He gets the famous award on the pretext that he has done social service for bridging the social gap by music. Will such an absurdity happen anywhere else than in Tamizh?
If there is real interest in culture, this is a historic background which can be learnt in a few days. If one gets down to the field and attempt something, that clarity will be obtained. To someone who does not do that, but indulges in internecine Brahmin politics, self-aggrandisement tactics and media mania, someone like me cannot get across.
Moreover, it is established that the path down which TMK travels is the most successful in India. Sky is his limit. What can be done?"
